Category: Things to consider

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is: How to install security camera wiring?

If you are not very adept at DIY then installing a security camera can be pretty daunting. Not only are you expected to following (usually pretty poor) installation instructions, but will need to drill holes, run cabling and connect everything up in the correct order.

Obviously every security camera wiring will be totally different, however after reading this guide you will have a fairly good idea on how it should work.

HINT: If you don't want to go through all of the hastle, then a battery powered security camera (usually doorbell cameras such as the Ring Doorbell or GW Camera) just required fixing in place.

Main Things You Will Need To Install Security Camera Wiring

For POE (Power over Ethernet) Security Cameras:

Cat 5 Ethernet cable.

Drill

Electrical Tape

For Wireless Security Cameras (without battery):

Electrical wires.

Drill

Electrical Tape

For Analog Security Cameras

RG-59 BNC connector

RG-59 crimping ​​​​​tool

RG-59 stripping tool

RG-59 coaxial wires

BNC barrel

Wire cutter

Standard wire crimp tool

Electrical tape

How To Install Security Camera Wiring

Even if you are installing an outdoor camera, the chances are you will need to run the wiring through the house. This typically will mean running the wires through walls, ceilings, and hard to reach places. It is very easy to get frustrated, rush and mess the whole thing up.

The first thing you need to do before you even touch a tool is to plan. Spending 15 minutes at this planning stage will save you countless hours. The main consideration is where you are going to place your central hub - consisting of the hard drive, screen and DVR.

Once you have decided on the location for your central hub you need to decide where the cameras are going to be placed.

Next you can plan the most effective route for the wires to run. TIP: It isn't always the shortest route. Typically you will want to run the video and power wires from a single point located near the central hub as shown below:

Once you have planned the best route then you can get down to the actual business end of installing your security camera wiring.

Firstly it would be a good idea to turn off the main power supply at the building. As you are doing to be drilling through walls, you can't be to careful. Once you have drilled your holes then use a straightened metal coat hanger to feel through to make sure that there are no obstructions.

The actual hole should be a little larger than the wires you intend to pass through, just encase you want to add more in the future. Also you should run more wire than is needed so that you have extra for future re-organization.

TIP: Label all of the wires so you know exactly which one needs to go where.

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Running Your Security Camera Wiring

There are typically two ways in which people choose to wire their security camera. The first is running the wires through the attic and attaching the camera to the soffit. The second is running the wires through an exterior wall and attaching the cameras via a conduit.

Option 1

Running your wires through the attic is probably the most popular option - provided you have access of course. We touched on it above, but the first thing you need to do is decide where you are going to place your central hub. Most people have it in a spare room or study. However, some opt to have it in a more secure location or hidden in a closet. If you are looking for the easiest option, then placing it in the attic itself would be ideal.

The image below shows how the setup would look if you were to run the wiring from a room below the attic.

Option 2

The second option is good if you do not have access to the attic. It involves running the wires through the exterior wall and then using a conduit on the exterior of the home to run cables from one camera to another (kinda like a piggy back circuit).

The image below shows how this setup would look.

Once you have run the wired to the correct location then the next step is to actually mount the cameras. As this is just a guide on how to run the wiring we will leave it here for now, but you should check out our full guide on How To Install a Security Camera System. If you are still at the stage where you haven't actually purchased a camera yet then you should check out our Best Security Camera Brand article.

Hopefully after reading this guide you have a little more of an idea on how and what you should be doing when it comes to Installing your Security Camera Wiring. If you need anymore help, or any clarification please comment below and we will try our best to help.

Christmas; a Thriving time for Thieves.

Security camera systems are probably not at the top of your wish list for the Holidays. They aren’t as exciting as fun toys, exciting games or the latest tech gadget. Maybe, if you are a prepper or a real security nut then you have considered a surviellance system but we are guessing no. This being said, hopefully you already have on in place. Why is that? Because burglars go on a stealing spree during the months of November and December as much as consumers do a shopping spree.

Family members are typically gone more with vacations and visiting family. Neighbors are gone leaving the neighborhood lookout scarce. This opens up the doors (quite literally) and opportunities for burglars to come in and snag what they want. Although humanity in general goes up time time of year that doesn’t stop the bad guys from doing what they do. In fact your chances are highest to have a home burglary during the Holiday season and summer. Both times of families going on vacations.

So what can a security camera system do for you if you have one in place? Well for this family below, it caught a person actually snagging their outdoor Christmas lights!

The quality is pretty scarce and that depends on the type and brand you get. Swann typically has the clearest night vision but all surveillance systems suffer for night vision. While they all claim they have it there isn’t any one brand that has the best night vision.

Tips for a Sound and Safe Holiday

Here are a few extra things you can do to secure your home and not have the grinch stealing your gifts.

Let your direct neighbors know you will be out of town. Then they can keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you have any family that plans on checking in on the home or pet let them know about that (and the car make and model) before hand.

Have a security camera system in place. This is obviously what we review on this site and have tips & comparisons. They are the highest deterrent for crime, even more so than a large dog or security system.

Leave a car in the driveway. If you only have 1 vehicle, it is often a good idea to leave it parked on the driveway as this indicates there is someone home and inside. Keep it locked and it can act as it’s own deterrent.

Keeping a Memorable Holiday this Year

Surveillance cameras top the Christmas decorations

Most places consumers go shop, play and eat this holiday season will all be captured on a security camera. Make sure that you treat what is worth the most; your family and home with the same precautions. Plan ahead so you don’t come home to an empty home. Best wishes for a fun and safe holiday season to all of our blog readers! Let us know what you plan on doing and how you are taking safety in your own hands this year. Also let us know any tech gadgets you are hoping to get under the tree.

How to turn your Smartphone or tablet into a Watchful helpful eye via your Security Cameras

Have a home security camera and want to get one without any investment? Well, here is an excellent idea to make a home security camera with little skills. For this, you must need a Smartphone. Do not worry, you don’t have to get a new Smartphone; just use your old Smartphone that doesn’t work properly, or any scratches on the screen, or any issues with your Smartphone. No matter whether your phone is working or not working, you can do miracles with little effort. With your old unused Smartphone that is spacious in your drawer can now be converted into your home security camera.

Security Camera streaming from your Smart device Of Course, if you have a device and software to convert the Smartphone into a surveillance camera, you can quickly convert the Smartphone into a security camera with ease. Also, you need a free webcam, charging cable and a desktop computer or a laptop or a tablet, as well as easy access to local Wi-Fi network in order to monitor the continuous feed away from the home or office.

Important Considerations before using Old Smartphone

If you are using the new smart device, there is absolutely no need to worry. But, if you are using your old problematic device, you must take care of few simple aspects. The best-recommended concept is to reuse the factory reset over a device. Then, you can update to the most current version of the Android set.

While planning to use the Smartphone like a home security camera, stability becomes an important factor which must be given due importance. Therefore, it is very vital to remove or uninstall any extra applications to free the memory as much as possible. Then, you can easily run the most recent stable Android version for your device. All these are found to be the paramount considerations. Besides this, you must refer to your phone manuals to reset and update the android version.

Google Account to connect Smartphone to Webcam

But you must first know what to do with your waste Smartphone. Check if you have an Android handset that could be either old or new. But, it is a brilliant idea to get the old Android phone. Then, ensure you have installed the app to connect the Smartphone to the webcam. And you must need a Google account to make the app work in a proper way. Now, you must need to login into the screen with the relevant username and password, further proceed to the next screen.

Use Viewer and a Camera for better Connectivity

You must also need a viewer along with the camera. If you have both, then just tap the next button to start the app. Once it’s done, the app will start the camera (on the display) automatically. You must wait for a while, to make the viewer device or client to get connected. Now that you can find the option to keep the phone’s display on, or blank out the screen by tapping the button at the bottom of the screen or else simply place the device in the standby mode.

The app you installed would work in the background, and the video feed keeps streaming. You can also check the feeds through internet-enabled desktop PC, as well as internet video and chat application as well. These can even be viewed in the browser of your tablet and works using both wired and wireless internet connection. Most of the apps are compatible with the tablets, desktop PC, as well as the laptop and Smartphone.

Use Charger for Safety Purpose

Now it’s a time to search for the exact location to place the camera device because it is a security camera and must be hidden somewhere. Once you know the location, you can connect the charger to this camera device. And you’d definitely wish the camera to stream for 24/7, but the battery life will not support you for sure. Therefore, the need for a charger becomes essential.

Place Camera in a Proper Location

Ensure your wireless network service is available in the location where you want to put the camera. Find a safe place in your room to keep your Smartphone/tablet on a top level in the room. Also, make sure that you cover a wide area to be monitored, and your security camera is now ready to use.

The alarm happens when the motion of the object is detected. It is just the motion that makes the alarm to happen and the sound or volume of the alarm keeps increasing, and email will be sent to the home security camera owner.

Send Emails Automatically

It is just an automation process, where you can add your email address to the e-mail settings. If you wish to get the SMS alerts, you must first enter the appropriate phone number to the SMS settings. Likewise, there are many options available in order to set the SMS alerts for Network disconnection, as well as the low battery and low power supply. You must ever set an event page, where the intruder images can be uploaded. You must also keep checking the inbox and the page will be created in an automatic way.

Usually, on the screen of your Smartphone, you can find an email icon, and you can tap the icon in order to instruct the app to send the intruder alerts to you via email. Also, you must be able to tap the camera lens graphics in the center of the display in order to support the app. However, you can be made changes in the settings.

That means, the app generally detects the motion of an object or intruder detects motion as well as makes an alarm sound and ultimately all the images of the intruder gets uploaded. Whenever the SMS or email alerts are enabled, you will get a link to view your images online no matter where you are.

Security Camera and its uses as a home security camera

It is useful not just to meet the purpose of a home security camera, but also to enjoy the small joyful moments which you want to capture secretly. It can be your children’s activities when you are away from them; you can have their naughtiness straight away beamed to you, like going to the refrigerators and stealing the ice-creams, fruits, etc. Likewise, you can also keep tracking what all your children do – whether your child is studying or not, whether the child is sleeping, if you have a baby you can check if it’s in the cradle or not, and so on.

You can also keep track of your lovely pets like cats and dogs, rabbits and parrots, as well as fishes and so on. One can check the activities of your favorite fishes in the aquariums through hidden cameras. It is possible to catch all the funniest moments inside the house by using this.

Besides these, you can even place your device in the garage and other places as well. Even you can keep the same camera in the shops as you already know about it. This would help you to get alerts about the customers who arrive at your shop. Also, you can keep track of both your workers and customers. Furthermore, the interesting thing about this cam is that the videos that stream can be played in any video player software with the support of useful app.

Conclusion:

If you have a Smartphone that is rarely used; you can try converting it into a home security camera or spy camera with little technical skills. Just install the right app that connects the Smartphone to the camera; adjust the proper settings to get alert messages or emails. Your job is done. Keep watching the video streams in any video player that you wish.